Category: News

Two CAC Boomerangs are currently being restored in Brisbane, Australia. One of these, serial A46-54, is almost finished and should be flying soon. Out of 250 Boomerangs built between 1942 and 1945, only about ten have been preserved. Read the full story on Warbirds News.

The Gloster Meteor T.7 WA591 flew again on June 18 at Hampton Roads Executive Airport in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The aircraft was previously owned by the Classic Air Force Trust in Coventry, England, and is now part of the World Heritage Air Museum based at City Airport in Detroit, Michigan. Read the full story on …

The Vought F4U-5N Corsair (BuNo 124724, registered F-AZEG) of the Casques de Cuir flew again yesterday in La Ferté-Alais, south of Paris, after a ten-year restauration. This aircraft was built in 1951 and served with the US Navy before being bought by Honduras and serving during the “Soccer War”. It was later transferred to …

Grumman TBM-3E Avenger 53337 registered N337VT (formerly VH-VTB, arrived in the USA in 2017) was probably destroyed ina crash near Fort Apache, Arizona. After an engine failure over mountainous terrain, the crew bailed out rather than attempt an emergency landing in what would probably have been extremely dangerous conditions. Both crew members were injured upon …

Zac Rockey, the pilot of the Morane-Saulnier M.S.315 G-BZNK, was forced to make an emergency landing on Jacob’s Ladder Beach in Devon, after his engine cut during a flight from Branscombe à Bodmin airfield in the United-Kingdom. Not only did Rockey and his passenger emerge unscathed from the incident, but none of the people on …

Hangar 10 shared two photos on its Facebook page showing the first flight of Bf 109G-6 “Black 8”, a veteran of JG 27 powered by a DB 605 engine. The flight took place from Heringsdorf airport on the Usedom island in Germany, with Klaus Plasa at the controls. Sources: Hangar 10 Aerodynamic Media

The P-51D Mustang “Moonbeam McSwine” (previously F-AZXS) has returned to the US. The aircraft was sold to Frenchman Frédéric Akary in 2013 and had become a favourite at airshows in France and Europe thanks to Akary’s superb flight demonstrations. Before returning to France, “Moonbeam McSwine” belonged for several years to Vlado Lenoch, who was killed …

The remains found at a crash site in Hohenturn, Austria, could be those of Captain Lawrence E. Dickson, who disappeared in his P-51 Mustang on 23 December 1944, during his 68th combat mission with the 100th Fighter Squadron. The US Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency emphasize that they are still testing the remains but there is …

A Yakovlev Yak-18 crashed today in Lens in northern France, killing the pilot and his passenger. The association Renaissance du Caudron Simoun indicated on its Facebook page that François Minard, one of its founders, was one of the two victims. Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of the two victims of this …

“Ninety-nine years after the first flight of the Junkers F13, Rimowa, the German luggage manufacturer responsible for ressurecting the type, has announced that its replica was certified by Swii aviation authorities on 28 March 2018.A small production run is being considered.” (Source: Aerobuzz) The first replica aircraft made its maiden flight on 15 September 2016. …

The Fagen Fighters WWII Museum has reported the acquisition of Grumman F6F Hellcat BuNo 78645. The aircraft was previously with the Yanks Air Museum in California. It will undergo an extensive IRAN (Inspect and Repair As Necessary) and should fly again by the summer of 2019. Source: Aerodynamic Media

Not a great start to #WarbirdsoverWanaka Glad the pilot was okay! pic.twitter.com/p4mAvJVj9M — Matt Warner (@mattwarnernz) March 30, 2018 A Yak-3 was seriously damaged when it crashed into a vehicle that was on the grass runway during the Warbirds over Wanaka International Airshow. Fortunately, pilot Arthur Dovey was “shaken but not injured”. Half of the …

The wreckage of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington was located by the research vessel RV Petrel on 4 March 2018 during an expedition led by Paul Allen. The “Lady Lex” was America’s second aircraft carrier, and the first one lost in combat. She was badly damaged by Japanese attacks on 8 May 1942 and scuttled …

Spitfire Mk XVI SL721, previously operated by Vintage Wings of Canada, has been sold to a Belgian owner and should be arriving soon in Belgium. This is the first time an airworthy Spitfire has been based in the country since the 1960s, according to the Belgian Aviation Preservation Association.

The Fighter Collection’s Hawker Sea Fury T.20 WG655 flew again on February 22 after a period of re-engineering, and performed 3 test flights. The twin-seater was re-engined with a Pratt & Whitney R-2800, replacing the original Bristol Centaurus powerplant. Source: Aerodynamic Media